RAB
by ElspethBates
Summary: Regulus joined the Death Eaters believing it was the right thing to do. Now, he knows the Dark Lord is pushing the edge of sanity. He's turned to his brother for help and has become a spy for the Order of Phoenix. . .


_A/N: Just a quick note to let you know that the characters in this story began their journey together in "A Sirius Dilemma". It's not necessary for you to read that story to understand this one. However, I'd be tickled pink if you did! _

_As always, everything belongs to J.K. Rowling. I just like to play with other peoples toys!_

**R.A.B**

Regulus Black glanced around the Muggle tea shop decorated in chintz and lace, thinking wryly that his brother had a twisted sense of humour. Sirius was right, however. No Death Eater would think to look for two supposedly-estranged brothers meeting in such a place.

Since it was imperative that he pass along potentially life-saving information, Regulus endured the frilly, non-magical surroundings. Harder to stomach was the look of disbelief on his brother's face.

"What do you mean, Reggie?" Sirius demanded.

Regulus rubbed his face with both hands as if he were trying to rub away the memory of what he had seen. "I've told you three times now, Sirius. He has targeted the Potters, the Longbottoms, _and _their sons."

"I know that piece of filth has no conscience, but to not only target adults, but children too? Why?!"

Regulus shook his head, not wanting to believe what he knew. "There is a prophesy. I don't know it word for word, and there's not likely a chance I could just waltz up to him and ask now is there?"

"Give it to me again."

"All I know is there was a child born as the seventh month ended to parents who had defied him three times. This child will have the power to destroy Voldemort. Now, he's targeted the Potters and the Longbottoms."

"Who else knows this?"

"Malfoy, certainly. Probably the LeStranges, and I think Snape. They are all in the inner-circle."

"I knew James shouldn't have saved that scum in seventh year," Sirius muttered, his eyes blazing with his hatred for Severus Snape.

Regulus sighed inwardly. His brother was always led astray by his emotions. Snape wasn't the issue. "Look, Sirius, that's not all. There's more. Voldemort has discovered the secret of making Horcruxes."

Sirius waved that information away. "Saving James, Lily, Frank, and Alice is more important than some myth of split souls."

"It isn't a myth, and if he succeeds—" Regulus broke off, realising that this was not the moment to share his fears. Sirius was focused on the immediate threat to his friends. He wouldn't listen to anything else. He said, "Very well. You need to get back before anyone discovers that we don't actually hate each other."

Sirius nodded. "Find out who is going to be the one assigned to each family. I'll go to James and Lily's right away, and send Peter to warn Frank and Alice."

"You will let Dumbledore know about the Horcruxes, right?"

"Right," Sirius answered distractedly, as though his mind was already trying to figure a way to save his friends and his godson.

Regulus felt the old frustration rise. It was as though they were back in the nursery, with the little brother humoured and sent off to play. He chuckled bitterly, watching his brother stride away. The games he played now were of life and death.

OoOoO

Once he Apparated home, a smile lightened Regulus' face for the first time since he'd been summoned by the Dark Lord that morning. His wife would be waiting either in her greenhouse, puttering away with her myriad of plants, or in the kitchen brewing potions for the apothecary she and her sister had opened. He needed to see her, to reassure himself that she was safe and happy.

He entered the house and relaxed as soon as he heard the homey sounds of Morag moving around in the kitchen. The delicious aroma filling the air told him she was cooking dinner, not Pepperup Potion or some other noxious remedy.

As he neared the kitchen, he could hear Celestina Warbeck singing on the wireless.

He stood in the doorway watching his wife move about the kitchen, humming along with the music. She was incredibly beautiful in his eyes. They had been betrothed when they were quite young. He had only been fourteen-years-old at the time. But now, at age twenty-one, they had been married for nearly a year.

She looked up from the cucumbers she was slicing and smiled warmly. "Reggie! How long have you been standing there?"

Regulus crossed the kitchen and nuzzled her neck as he slid his hands around to caress her stomach. "Just a few minutes. What are you making for dinner?"

Morag finished her slicing and tossed them in a bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients, "Chicken Parmesan, toasted garlic bread, and tossed salad. If you will open a bottle of wine, I'll set the table. Everything is nearly ready."

Loathe though he was to take his arms from around her comforting presence, he dropped his arms and crossed to the wine rack to select an appropriate bottle. "How are things at the apothecary?"

"Everything is going very well, thank you. I told you Hogsmeade would appreciate their own apothecary, and not having to Apparate to Diagon Alley every time they needed a headache potion or some lacewing flies."

"Yes, you and your sister were entirely right. I take it back. I should never have doubted you," he replied with a teasing grin.

Morag's eyes lit with amusement, but she looked down her nose and replied primly, "That should teach you!"

Later that evening, Regulus tried to read a book while Morag sat across from him with an afghan she was crocheting spread across her lap. As she searched through her yarn basket for the next colour in her pattern she glanced at her husband and said, "Dear heart, when are you going to stop pretending to read and tell me what's bothering you so much?"

Startled, Reggie looked up at his wife, closed his book with a snap and sighed.

"There's obviously something wrong, you were staring at the same page for the past ten minutes. Why don't you want to talk about it?" Morag coaxed.

"This isn't something I can really talk about easily," Reggie finally admitted.

"Well, start at the beginning, and tell me as much as you can."

He scrubbed at his face with both hands. "There's something really terrible going on. I'm not sure how to handle it."

Morag put the afghan aside and leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees. "Whatever is happening, you know that I'm with you. There's nothing so terrible that the two of us can't see it through."

"You don't understand!" he snapped. Jumping to his feet he began to pace. "I believed in him, supported him, but the Dark Lord has gone beyond the bounds of sanity. He has to be stopped!"

Morag watched him pace for long moments before saying quietly, "All right. What do we have to do to stop him?"

Reggie stopped abruptly and stared at his wife. "I spoke to Sirius today. He's taking care of warning the next victims."

Morag was surprised at the amount of anguish in his eyes. "Who's been targeted that has you so upset?"

Reggie sank into a chair and covered his face with his hands. "The Longbottoms and the Potters and . . ." he trailed off, not wanting to tell her that Voldemort had targeted the babies.

Morag gently pulled his hands from his face. "And?"

"Their sons," he whispered harshly.

Morag's eyes widened with horror before they filled with tears. "Neville and Harry? Why?"

"Does it matter?" His face twisted. "He's just done it. Assigned people to just… just… exterminate them."

The horror she was feeling was deeply reflected in her eyes. Regulus watched her try to figure out what to say and hoped she could find something to give him comfort. Her eyes widened as if a new thought occurred to her. "There's more, isn't there?"

Regulus couldn't contain the anguish, fear, and revulsion any longer. "He's creating Horcruxes."


End file.
